Firing Lines Fighting for your Second Amendment Rights since 1965

Transcription

1 SCOPE, inc. Firing Lines Fighting for your Second Amendment Rights since 1965 By Tim Andrews SCOPE President The 2017 elections are over, and hopefully you helped elect pro-gun candidates to office in your local communities. The end of the 2017 elections brings the beginning of the 2018 election season. Yes, you heard me right, the 2018 election season is here, and our work begins. It is not overstated, to say that New York gun owners are facing the most important election of their lifetime. Let me say it again, 2018 will be the most important election of your lifetime. You will be voting to elect members of the New York State Legislature as well as the governor of New York State. Additionally, you will be electing, members of congress and a U.S. Senator. It s a very big year to say the least. You have heard estimates on the number of gun owners in New York. Estimates range from four to six million New York gun owners. If we voted in a block, we would be the most pro-gun state in the union. Unfortunately, we don t vote as a block, even worse, many gun owners don t vote. Our fate ultimately hinges on how successful we are at getting gun owners out to vote and to vote pro-gun. Many people who consider themselves pro-gun, are not necessarily one issue voters. They consider other issues as well. When they vote they may consider a candidate s stance on issues like taxes, economics or other social issues. We need to educate voters that the right to defend yourself and your family is the ultimate right to life. Remember that caricature of Uncle Sam, pointing at you and stating, Uncle Sam needs you, well Uncle Sam needs all of us to preserve freedom in New York State. All hands-on deck, if there are barriers between us we must bury them now. We need gun shop owners, gun show operators, gun clubs and any organization that considers itself pro -gun to join in the fight. First and foremost, we must get gun Looking to the New Year owners registered to vote. If you are not registered you can t vote. We need voter registration forms in every gun shop, we must have voter registration tables at every gun show. We need to educate gun owners on how to vote including absentee balloting. We also need to identify the pro-gun vote and make sure it gets to the polls on election day. One final point on registering to vote. Gun owners tend to be independent and many of us are inclined to register as independents and not a member of a political party. When you register, I would encourage you to register to a political party because not doing so gives up part of your voice. When you register to a party you have the right to vote in that party s primary, you have a say in who that party s candidate is in the November election. Don t forfeit that power, register to a political party. As a party member, you can obtain signatures and run your own pro-gun candidate against an antigunner in a party primary. The other important thing to consider about primaries, is that fewer people vote in them, making primary votes more impactful. This means that an organized get out the vote campaign in a primary, can sometimes rid us of an anti-gun candidate who might be more difficult to defeat in the general election. Good news on the Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA H.R. 3576). Representative Chris Collin s legislation now has 14 co-sponsors. They include representatives from California, North Carolina, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Here in New York SAGA co-sponsors include Representatives, Tom Reed, Claudia Tenney, Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin. Call these reps and thank them for their support. If you live in the Syracuse district Representative of John Katko call his office and ask why he has not joined on as a co-sponsor of SAGA. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of the recent mass shootings. Not (Continued on page 5) Volume XXVI, Issue VI Nov/Dec 2017 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SCOPE Chapter and BoD Information 2 Newsletter Deadlines 2 SCOPE P.A.C. 3 Endorsements 4 SAFE Act 6 Rights kept or lost 8 SCOPE member clubs 10 Evolution of gun control 12 Christmas spirit 13 Business Members 14 Your Representatives 16 SCOPE Chapter helps SAFE Act victim 20 - Profiling 22 More of what s next 23 Join SCOPE Today! SCOPEny.org Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. Edmund Burke A well Regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

2 Firing Lines page 2 SCOPE PHONE NUMBERS To contact SCOPE: admin@scopeny.org Or call SCOPE SCOPE Board Members SCOPE Chapter Chairs are also Board Members President Tim Andrews Tim.andrews@scopeny.org Chairman of the Board Don Hey Don.hey@scopeny.org st Vice president Nicholas Massal Nicholas.massal@scopeny.org At Large Directors Bob Brannan Bob.brannan@scopeny.org Michael Giuliano Michael.giuliano@scopeny.org Media Coordinator Joe McAdams Joe.mcadams@scopeny.org FIRING LINES Editor - Ralph Esposito To contact SCOPE and FIRING LINES Call (315) 27-SCOPE Or Write: SCOPE PO Box 165 East Aurora, NY All written material is copyrighted by the author and or SCOPE, Inc. Permission is granted to use all or part of the published articles in the Firing Lines as long as credit is given to the author and SCOPE, Inc. RC PRODUCTIONS Frank Panasuk Frank.panasuk@scopeny.org Kathie Ricketson Kathie.ricketson@scopeny.org Don Smith Don.smith@scopeny.org Chairman Emeritus Harold Budd Schroeder Budd.schroeder@scopeny.org SCOPE CHAPTER INFORMATION We are just listing the Chapter Chair information. Allegany Chapter Chairman Steven Speta Steven.speta@scopeny.org Meetings 3rd Tuesday Angelica American Legion 7:00pm Angelica, NY Capitol District Chapter: Albany/Columbia/Greene/ Schenectady/Rensselaer Chairman Curtis Cappellano Curtis.cappellano@scopeny.org Meetings 3 rd Tuesday 7:00pm American Legion Everett Rd Albany Cattaraugus Chapter Chairman Michael Guerin Michael.guerin@scopeny.org Meetings 1 st Thursday 7:00pm American Legion Ellicottville, NY Cayuga Chapter Jim Dishaw Dishawjp@gmail.com Central NY Chapter: Onondaga/Oswego William Ratschki William.Ratschki@scopeny.org Chautauqua Chapter Chairman Will Conta Will.conta@scopeny.org Chemung Chapter Tom Reynolds Tom.reynolds@scopeny.org Delaware Committee Chairman Andrea Elliot Andrea.elliott@scopeny.org Newsletter Deadline for the Next Issue January 15, 2018 Firing Lines is printed every two months. The deadlines are January 15, March 15, May 15, July 15, September 15 and November 15. We do take articles from you, our members. They are subject to editing for spelling and grammar. We also reserve the right not to print the article. Articles should be ed as a file. Text or basic Word document formats are preferred. Please NO PDF files. Erie Chapter Chairman Carl Leas Carl.leas@scopeny.org Meetings 3 rd Thursday, 7:00pm Location to be announced Genesee Chapter Chairman Bill Fox Sr. Bill.fox@scopeny.org Meetings 2nd Tuesday 7:00pm Calvary Baptist Church 3515 Galloway Rd. Batavia, NY Jefferson-Lewis Chapter Chairman C. Bruce Kingsley Bruce.kingsley@scopeny.org Meetings 3rd Monday 7:00pm Watertown Sportsmen's Club Watertown, NY Niagara Chapter Tim.Andrews@scopeny.org Oneida-Herkimer Chapter Chairman Fred Rebscher Fred.rebscher@scopeny.org Ontario Chapter Chairman Doug Negley Doug.negley@scopeny.org Meetings 3rd Monday 7:30pm Inn on The Lake Canandaigua, NY Orleans Chapter Chairman David Thom David.thom@scopeny.org Meetings 2nd Monday 7:00pm Hoag Library; 1 st Floor Main Street Albion, NY St. Lawrence Chapter Chairman Jamie Briggs Jamie.briggs@scopeny.org Saratoga Chapter Chairman Gino Danese Gino.danese@scopeny.org Meetings 4th Thursday 7:00pm 4H Training Center Ballston Spa, NY Schoharie Chapter Chairman Russell Case III Russell.case@scopeny.org alternate venue every 3 months. Meetings 3rd Thursday 7:00pm Carlisle Town Hall Carlisle, NY Meetings 3rd Thursday 7:00pm Middleburgh R&G Club Middleburgh, NY Schuyler Chapter Chairman Dan Phillips Dan.phillips@scopeny.org Meetings 2nd Thursday 7:00pm Moose Lodge Montour Falls, NY Seneca Chapter Chairman John Christensen John.christensen@scopeny.org Southern Tier Chapter Chenango/Madison/Broome Chairman Shawn Palmer Shawn.palmer@scopeny.org (Continued on page 3)

3 Firing Lines page 3 (Continued from page 2) Steuben Chapter Chairman Doug Mitchell Doug.mitchell@scopeny.org Meetings 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00pm Bath Rod & Gun Club Bath, NY Suffolk Chapter Chairman Sherman Kearns Sherman.kearns@scopeny.org Meetings 4 th Thursday 6:30pm Dark Storm Industries Oakdale, NY Tioga Chapter Chairman Glenn Hopler Glenn.hopler@scopeny.org Please call Chairman Hopler for meeting dates & times Ulster Chapter Chairman Santos Lopez Santos.lopez@scopeny.org Wayne Chapter Chairman David Dodd David.dodd@scopeny.org Wyoming Chapter Chairman Mark YountJr Mark.yount@scopeny.org Meetings 2nd Thursday 7:00pm Dept. of Social Services Bldg.Warsaw, NY Yates Chapter Chairman John Prendergast John.prendergast@scopeny.org Check your address label for your renewal date With this newsletter your expiration date is included on the address label. It will save SCOPE time and money if you can renew your membership a month or two before your membership is due to expire. You can use the membership application in the newsletter or go online to to renew. SCOPE-PAC Political Action Committee Effectively defending the 2 nd Amendment requires us to go on the offensive. We cannot wait, unprepared, for the next assault from the radical left. Although we may have a friend in the White House, Cuomo and the radical left still reside in Albany. SCOPE inc. works to educate the public and influence legislation while SCOPE-PAC is a separate, all volunteer organization and can provide direct financial support to candidates and promote legislation safeguarding the 2 nd Amendment. Money is the Mother s Milk of politics. In less than two years, Cuomo or some equally radical liberal will be running for governor and the slim majority in the NY Senate will again be at stake. We cannot wait for the last months before that election to begin preparing. In addition, if we can help a genuine 2A supporter in a primary, that will occur months before the election. The time to begin building up cash reserves for that election cycle is now, when smaller donations given over time can mount up into a significant amount and will make a difference. Please consider making a donation now, no matter how small, to SCOPE-PAC and again whenever you can afford to support the 2 nd Amendment. Our ad in Firing Lines gives you specific directions on how to donate. SCOPE-PAC P.O. Box Rochester, NY Or online at:

4 Firing Lines page 4 Endorsements and ratings By Tom Reynolds It s easy to have a personal opinion on political issues but when speaking for an organization, one must attempt to be rational and consistent before giving one s opinion. Take for instance the issue of endorsing candidates. Most if not all Second Amendment supporters would agree that the leadership / establishment of the Democratic Party are radically, anti- 2A; I doubt if that leadership would deny it. But what happens when an individual candidate comes out of the Democratic Closet and supports 2A? Do we support or not support such an exceptional person? My answer is, It depends. Allow me to set out some principles so, It depends, is not as wishy-washy as it sounds. At the federal level (the House and the Senate) and the state level (the Assembly and the Senate) the leaders of the majority party (Speaker or Majority Leader) have tremendous power. They decide what does and does not happen. Unfortunately, the Democratic leaders are now firmly members of the anti-2a establishment. When we elect a legislator, they help put their party in the majority which, in the case of Democrats, means anti-2a legislation will abound. While a Democratic legislative candidate may truly be pro-2a, I do not believe we can take a chance on electing Democratic leadership, so I would not be able to recommend endorsing such a Democratic candidate in the general election. But what about non-legislative candidates such as D.A. s, Sheriffs and judges? They do not create a majority, they are a one person majority! Would I ever recommend supporting a Democrat who is truly pro-2a for D.A., Sheriff or judge? If it was during a Democratic primary, the vision of a pro-2a Democrat running against a pro-2a Republican in the general election is delicious to contemplate. Remember, some gun owners are Democrats and in a district where the Democrats are a majority the Democrat will probably be the eventual winner. So, yes, I could see myself recommending endorsement of a pro-2a Democrat during their primary. But, what about the general election? First, remember that almost all Republicans give verbal support to 2A when campaigning but many are not exactly rabid in their support, after the election. What if a Democrat, while serving as D.A., Sheriff or judge, had truly demonstrated support for 2A and was running against a Republican who seemed wishy-washy in support of 2A. I might find it possible to cautiously recommend support for the Democrat. I say might because of an intangible; these people are products of their political parties and I would have to be convinced they would stand up to the intraparty pressure they would receive. If a true 2A Republican supporter were running against a 2A Democratic supporter, then the Republican has to get the endorsement. Personal character is always to be considered but why take a chance? Having laid out some principles, what information do we base the decision upon? Rating forms are often used that pick out several important votes to measure how a sitting legislative candidate has voted. Unfortunately, that can be deceptive. Examples from history are effective and we had an excellent example during the Obama Administration of why a rating based on votes is deceptive. Republicans usually ran against Obamacare and voted to repeal it some thirty times; thirty times that never had a chance to be signed into law over Obama s veto. But since Republicans regained the Presidency, they haven t yet gotten enough votes together to repeal. So, should they get any credit for thirty meaningless votes which, on paper, seemed to exhibit the desire to repeal Obamacare. If you were rating candidates before a Republican gained the Presidency, you had thirty votes on which to make a rating decision. Of course, you could have ignored the votes because they never had a chance of succeeding (I would have done that). After the election, you had a truer representation and most would probably ignore those earlier thirty votes. We have a similar problem with 2A legislation here in NY. The NY Assembly and Governor Cuomo are major blocks to any pro-2a legislation. Republicans are constantly introducing bills that have no chance of being enacted into law, but they seek credit for their meaningless efforts. In fairness, Democrats in the Assembly do the same thing and introduce anti-2a bills that will never be approved by the Republican Senate. The Republicans do deserve credit for blocking these bills and it should remind us how tenuous our situation is since just one Senator gives us the majority; if we lose the majority, the craziness out of NY City would become law! Basing a rating on just votes is, in my opinion, not usually valid, but it is an easy method. More subjectively, there should be a second level of questions. For instance, the legislator should be asked, You introduced / voted for a pro-2a bill but it never realistically had a chance to become law. Tell us what you did besides introduce / vote for the bill that increased its chance to become law. Or you could ask, Why did you not use the Rent Control issue in 2016 or the 421-A issue in 2017 to help repeal the SAFE Act. As I stated, the answers are subjective, which makes them harder to rate but the answers are also important. Of course, there is another element. What happens when a radically anti-2a candidate is running against a wishy-washy pro-2a candidate? It s easy to give out the F rating but there is always pressure on grade inflation. We don t want to take a chance that the anti-2a candidate is elected, so a C often becomes and A and that candidate proclaims forevermore that SCOPE gave them an A. My answer to the ratings question is that the most valuable ratings must be a bit subjective and should relay to the reader the rationale as well as the voting history. Also, the ratings should be done by a group and vote (Continued on page 5)

5 Firing Lines page 5 Photo from Genesee County Chapter (Continued from page 1) surprisingly, it has not taken long for the enemies of freedom to attempt to gain some political advantage from these terrible tragedies that have their roots in pure evil. The Texas church shooting highlighted a point we have been making for a long time. The best defense against a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. The media has done a good job of playing that down. As you all know law-abiding gun owning citizen Stephen Willeford, put an end to the shooter s rampage, with his AR-15 rifle. The only thing that would have made this better is if someone in that church had a firearm, even more lives may have been saved. This was in Texas, I can t help but wonder why no one in that church was armed. Have anti-gunners with their lying rhetoric attached a stigma to concealed carry, making folks reluctant to carry? If they have they should be held accountable for their rhetoric because it s costing lives. Consider this, 70% of mass shootings end within 5 minutes, average police response time to such tragedies is 11 minutes. You can run, hide under a table or pew and hope for the best or you can fight back. Texas hero, Stephen Willeford proved there is no substitute for a good guy with an AR-15. Furthermore, we know the shooter had a bad conduct discharge from the Air Force and had a record of domestic violence, by law he should not have been able to purchase a firearm. That s more evidence of government ineptitude and more evidence of how you cannot count on, or expect the government to protect you from a violent attack. Like New York s SAFE Act, restrictive gun laws only restrict law abiding citizens, making us more vulnerable to evil people like the shooters in Texas and Las Vegas. The battle is against evil, perhaps too theological for anti-gunners to understand. Happy Holidays (Continued from page 4) counts should be published; for instance, The ratings committee gave the candidate a B by a 3 to 2 vote. The committee was influenced by his lack of support for. Mail to SCOPE, PO Box 165 East Aurora, NY 14052

6 Firing Lines page 6 Still think the SAFE Act doesn't affect YOU? Think again. By Don Smith Recertification became a reality in the amended NY Penal Law as part (b) of Section : (b) All licensees shall be re-certified to the division of state police every five years thereafter. Any license issued before the effective date of the chapter of the laws of two thousand thirteen which added this paragraph shall be re-certified by the licensee on or before January thirty-first, two thousand eighteen, and not less than one year prior to such date, the state police shall send a notice to all license holders who have not recertified by such time. Such recertification shall be in a form as approved by the superintendent of state police, which shall request the license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race, residential address, social security number, firearms possessed by such license holder, address at the option of the license holder and an affirmation that such license holder is not prohibited from possessing firearms. The form may be in an electronic form if so designated by the superintendent of state police. Failure to re-certify shall act as a revocation of such license. If the New York State Police discover as a result of the recertification process that a licensee failed to provide a change of address, the New York State Police shall not require the licensing officer to revoke such license. The State Police has provided the County Clerks Association with memos to update them on recertification over many months. These memos have been modified since changes to the various 'requirements' have occurred. One such change by the State Police was the decision not to issue a "recertification card to be carried with the permit at all times". Note this requirement was never in the statute. What other "requirements" are not in the statute? These are some of the statements in the memos provided to the Clerks and then the facts according to the statute. Discuss them with your State Senator. "Recertification is a State Police function. The County Clerks do not have a role". Licensees are NOT recertified by the State Police. Licensees re-certify themselves by providing to the NYS Police (per the statute) "the license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race, residential address, social security number, firearms possessed by such license holder, address at the option of the license holder and an affirmation that such license holder is not prohibited from possessing firearms." Any permit holder that does not have a valid NYS driver s license or ID will be required to get one. This includes out of state residents that are permit holders. In the first place, out of state residents are not eligible to receive a NY State ID and it is unlawful to have a NY State driver s license and another state s driver s license at the same time. By this requirement, the (Continued on page 7)

7 Firing Lines page 7 (Continued from page 6) State Police is attempting to revoke the statute which does not require NY residency in order to be a permit holder. Moreover, no statutory provision requires a permit holder to have a valid NYS driver s license or ID in order to be eligible to receive or to retain a permit. The Division of NY State Police does not have authority to impose requirements for the recertification of a permit holder or to repeal the law which allows nonresidents to have a NY State permit. Except pursuant to NY Penal Law which relates to retired sworn members of the NYS Police, permits are denied, issued and revoked by local licensing officers, not by the NYS Police. Note also that there is case law that says a permit holder does not need to be a resident. They just need to have a verifiable address. Thus the snow birds who have Florida residency but still spend summers in NY can maintain their NY pistol permit. Counties will be notified when recertification is approved. Nothing in the statute confers upon the State Police the authority to approve or disapprove recertification. When the State Police receives the information it should notify the County Clerk that the licensee has re-certified, unless, after checking whatever data bases may be at its disposal, it discovers information that calls into question whether the licensee is precluded by law from possessing the license. If the State Police determine that such information exists, it should provide that information to the licensing officer who is the only one who has the statutory authority to issue, deny or revoke the license. "Recertification discrepancies must be corrected by amendment to license at the county level. Applicants will be instructed to do so." Note the continued use of the term applicant rather than Licensee. Licensees re-certifying their information are not applying for anything. The term applicant implies that the NYS Police have authority to grant or deny a right. It does not have that power. Only the licensing officer has that power. Similarly, the NYS Police have no authority to instruct licensees to do anything. It certainly can alert the licensee and the licensing officer of the discrepancy but it is then up to the licensing authority to take whatever action it may deem appropriate if the licensee fails to remedy the discrepancy. Note that the State Police are attempting to place themselves in the position of the licensing authority. If the applicant re-certifies by mail, they will receive a return receipt with a tracking number. The licensee is not an applicant, but note that this acknowledges that the licensee is re-certifying, not that the NYS Police is re-certifying the applicant. The recertification application is just like a pistol permit application without the references. The applicant is required to list all arrests, drug or alcohol treatment, mental illness, or family court petition or charge. Again, licensees are not applicants. They are licensees, and the statute only requires the licensee to provide the licensee s name, date of birth, gender, race, residential address, SS#, and firearms possessed together with an affirmation that the licensee in not prohibited from possessing firearms. The State Police are not authorized to rewrite laws. "There are four steps to the recertification process: (a) Submission of application (b) Acceptance of application (c) Review/return for correction (d) Approval / Revocation." (a) Licensees are not submitting applications, they are submitting certifications. (b) and (c) If a certification is illegible, on the wrong form, incomplete, or received from a nonlicensee refusing to accept it and returning it for correction makes sense, but only for those reasons. (d) The NYS Police do not approve the recertification and it certainly has no authority to revoke a license. "If the applicant is negative on the data base checks, the application is approved." Again, the licensee is not an applicant and the NYS Police do not approve anything. If the data base check is negative, proof of recertification should be issued. Positives will be referred to the licensing officer for revocation or clarification. The NYS Police have no authority to instruct the licensing officers how to discharge their statutory duties. As noted above, if the NYS Police uncover information that calls into question the licensee s right to continued possession of the license, it is up to the licensing officer to determine the proper course of conduct. If the NYS Police determine that it cannot re-certify the permit, the recertification (Continued on page 8)

8 Firing Lines page 8 WILL RIGHTS BE KEPT OR LOST NEXT YEAR? By Budd Schroeder As we would expect, when a mass shooting is committed by an evil person, the media and liberal left cries is sent to the licensing officer." The NYS Police do not recertify the permit. The licensee recertifies. According to the State Police Lieutenant addressing the County Clerks, the object of the recertification process is to create a pristine data base that any law enforcement official would be able to access at any time with real time information. What is a pristine data base? I thought that the object of the recertification process was to make NY Safe by assuring that people who have the subject licenses are not under a statutory disability that would prohibit them from retaining the rights granted to us by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. The Lieutenant stated that the pistol permit data would be linked to the DMV data base and an officer would know that a pulled over vehicle was owned by a pistol permit holder. Is that because there has been an epidemic in NY of shootings of police officers during traffic stops by holders of pistol permits? I doubt that has EVER happened, and if it has, that it has not happened more than once or twice since the Sullivan Law went into effect a little more than 103 years ago. Does this mean that when permit holders are stopped for routine traffic offenses we will be frisked and our firearms taken from us for our own protection during the encounter. If that occurs will the officer remove the magazine to make certain that it is not holding more than 10 rounds? Will our permits be demanded so that the officer can make sure that the handgun is registered on our permit? Is that information provided to out of state police officers who may stop a permit holder for a minor traffic infraction while traveling outside of NY State? Indicating a pistol permit on the face of a driver s license is not a decision that has been made yet." for more gun control. What is interesting about this case is that the killer bought his guns after passing background checks. This should not have happened because of the past history of the murderer, who had numerous interactions with the military and the law. This should have made him ineligible to purchase firearms. Unfortunately, the government fouled up both in the military and civilian arena. The killer received a Bad Conduct Discharge from the Air Force, and his penchant for domestic violence got him in trouble while in the military and with local law enforcement. He served time in prison, yet with all of these violations, was not reported to the FBI and placed in the NICS data base. (Continued on page 9) OMG!! Really? On the face of the driver s license? Talk about invasion of privacy. The statute provides that we may opt out of making that information a matter of public record, yet if it is decided to put it on our driver s license, pistol permit holders will be forced to disclose that very private piece of information to the cashiers at Wal-Mart and any number of other retail outlets, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe s, etc. etc., and other places as well, when making returns, applying for credit, cashing a check, receiving medical care, and so on. When the record of the permit is made, do we then become targets for burglaries? Besides, many of us have already completed an "Opt-Out form, Why does the recertification form deal with this issue? If we are out of state when a traffic infraction occurs, will the local police want to search us and our vehicles to see if we are illegally in possession of a firearm in their jurisdiction? What happens if we decline to permit the search of our vehicles? Is the result hours by the side of the road while the gun, bomb, and drug sniffing dogs are brought in, or worse? Is there no end to New York s harassment of her citizens who choose to exercise their Constitutional right to protect themselves, and their families? There was a Power Point for the presentation but the Lieutenant said it would not be released to the clerk s. Why not? What is it about the proposed process that needs to be kept secret from the public. Secrecy is what permitted the NY SAFE travesty to be enacted in the first place. Is the next round by the State Police Gov. Cuomo s emulation of President Obama s decision to ignore Congress and rule by administrative action? This begs for a demand under the State's Freedom of Information Act. What is in that Power Point?"

9 Firing Lines page 9 (Continued from page 8) Compare this with New York and the SAFE Act where people who are falsely reported are automatically placed on the NICS data base and they are unable to legally buy or possess guns. Go figure. Predictably, the liberal leftist politicians are calling for more gun control laws. Some want a law that would call for an ex parte confiscation of firearms like the Lautenberg Law that requires people who may have had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence to lose their Second Amendment rights. This is a federal law, yet a bill in the NY Assembly has been submitted that would do the same thing with a mandate attached to require law enforcement to confiscate the guns even if the officers decide that there is no danger to the people involved. A person may have had the conviction before the law was passed and may have purchased a gun legally at the time. However if it was recently discovered that if by some quirk in the law requiring a background check, like for employment, and it showed the misdemeanor conviction, all of a sudden, he is required to turn in all his guns because he is not eligible to possess a gun. He might have gotten the misdemeanor conviction by bad advice from his lawyer. Let s say that he had an argument and he asked for a divorce. His wife wanted to hurt him so she accused him of a violent act and the police were called. They took the report and he is charged with domestic abuse. Now, he is faced with an expensive court case, so the lawyer suggested that he save several thousand dollars by pleading to a misdemeanor which could end up in an affordable fine and a reasonable legal fee. So, that is what he did. He was a fine, outstanding citizen after the divorce, forgot about the incident and went on with his life until the misdemeanor showed up in his record. Now, his property has been confiscated and he has little chance of getting it back. An honest citizen is turned into a person who has lost a constitutional right because of this law. It is thought by many that the liberal left is looking for every opportunity to make gun ownership difficult for all citizens. We know that only about one quarter of one per cent of American gun owners misuse their guns. The proper way to deal with the problem is to deal with the cause. It is not guns that cause the mass murders. They may be a tool used by evil or deranged people. We think of Timothy McVeigh who killed three times as many people as Pollock in Las Vegas by using a truck with a bomb made of fertilizer and fuel oil. We have to be convinced that the only real common factor in any mass murder is the person doing it. If all guns could be confiscated we would still have mass murders. This was shown recently by the terrorist in New York City using a rented truck and mowing down people in a bike path. It is easy to obtain a vehicle. No background checks outside of credit checks. A driver s license is necessary and once the finances are approved the guy drives a vehicle. If he doesn t have money, how hard is it to steal a car? The liberal news media is also for confiscating guns and looking for any reason to do so. They don t care that the person may not know they are in violation of any laws until the police come knocking on the door with an order to take all firearms from the person. In a family home, they may remove the guns owned by other family members. Then there is a huge problem getting them back. The due process can take years, require legal assistance and reduce the family bank account. The SAFE Act is a good example of that, too. People have had their constitutional and civil rights violated by false reports by hospitals who can report a person as involuntarily admitted when the person came in totally voluntarily. If the report was made as an involuntary admission, it goes to the Office Of Mental Health. From there it goes through a series of bureaucracies and ends up at the County Clerk s Office in Upstate New York if the person has a pistol permit. The accused person must surrender his pistol permit and all his guns, including rifles and shotguns. There is no hearing or due process connected with this law. When this happens, the state gives the FBI a reason to add that name to their NICS base. Then, the accused person is considered guilty and he or she has to hire an attorney to start a process to investigate the false report to prove innocence. If successful and the aggrieved person wins, they get an order for the return of their suspended pistol permit and the handguns. The long guns are not returned, In order to get the rifles and shotguns returned, the person must file an Article 78 to a Supreme Court Judge and needs the assistance of an attorney. The costs involved can be more than the value of the guns, so the person has the loss of property without compensation. The anti-gun politicians are happy to see this happen and look for more ways to confiscate guns from honest people. Since criminals don t obey laws, they passed one that will be obeyed. They like this idea. The politicians will submit such laws and the liberal left will write editorials supporting these infringements on the right to keep and bear arms. In New York, assemblymen, senators and governor will be running for office next year. For those who believe in constitutional law, the right to keep and bear arms, property rights, due process and fairness in law will have the opportunity to vote for the politicians who agree with them. We get the government we deserve. What do you deserve? There are almost 4 million gun owners in New York. Cuomo got 2.1 million votes in Do the math!

10 Firing Lines page 10 SCOPE Member Clubs The following are clubs that are members of SCOPE. If you plan to join a club, please try to join one that is a SCOPE member. If your club would like to become a SCOPE club member please give SCOPE a call or drop us an . 5 Point Rod & Gun Club Adirondack Conservation Council Adirondack Federation of Sports Clubs Alabama Hunt Club Alfred Rod & Gun Club Allegany County Federation of Sportsman Allied Sportsmen of WNY Inc Almond Rod & Gun Club A-ON-DO-WA-NUH Sportsmans Club Athens Sportsmans Club Attica Rod & Gun Club Bailey Mountain Fish & Game Club Baldwinsville Rod & Gun Club Barre Sportsmens Club Barrington Rifle Club Bath Rod & Gun Club Big Game Recovery Big M Game Club Bison City Rod & Gun Club Inc Black Rock Fish & Game Club of Cornwall Blasdell Rod & Gun Club Bog Trotters Rifle & Pistol Club Inc Boston Valley Conservation Society Branchport Rod & Gun Club Inc. Bridgeport Rod & Gun Club Broome County Sportsmen's Assoc Inc. Buckhorn Sportsmens Club,Inc. Buffalo Revolver & Rifle Club Burlington Flats Fish & Game Club Busti Trap Club Camden Rod & Gun Club Camillus Sportsmens Club Canandaigua Lake Duck Hunters Cattaraugus Rod & Gun Club Cayuga County Sportsmen's Association Chemung County Rod & Gun Club Chestnut Ridge Rod & Gun Club Clarence Shooting Club Community Conservation Club Conesus Lake Sportsmen's Club Conservation Club of Brockport Dalton Gang Sportsmen Club Dansville Fish & Game Protective Assoc. Deer Search of WNY Deerfield Fish & Game Club Delchenego Rod & Gun Club Depew Rod & Gun Club Dunham's Bay Fish & Game Club Dutchess County Sportsmen's Association East Branch Club East Hook Sportsmen Eden-North Collins Gun Club Elbridge Rod & Gun Club Ellicottville Sportsmen's Club Elma Conservation Club Erie County Conservation Society Essex County Fish & Game League Evans Rod & Gun Club Federated Sportsmens Clubs of Cattaraugus Cty Four Point Rod & Gun Club Franklinville Conservation Club Genesee/Wyoming Pheasants Forever Chapter 843 Glen-Coe Conservation Society Inc Gorham Coon Hunters Gouverneur Rod & Gun Club Gowanda Rifle Club Grand Island Rod & Gun Club Grape Country Coon Hunters Assoc. Greenway Verona Mills Fish & Game Club Hamburg Rod & Gun Club Inc Harder O'Donnell Post 734 American Legion Hartland Conservation Club Hawkeye Bowman Helderberg Rod & Gun Club Hendrick Hudson Fish & Game Club Hidden Valley Lodge Hoisingtons NY Ranging Co Holland Rod & Gun Club Holley Rod & Gun Club Honeoye Fish & Game Club Hornell Sportsman Club Hudson Valley Sportsmen's Association Ilion Fish & Game Club Indian Lake/Blue Mountain Fish & Game Assoc. Irondequoit Fish & Game Club Junior Wilson Sportsmen Club Lackawanna Conservation Inc Lake Keuka Chapter, Izaak Walton League Lima Gun Club Lime Lake Sportsman's Club Lockport Conservation Club Lodi Rod & Gun Club Long Lake Fish & Game Club Lowville Fish & Game Club Lyons Rod & Gun Club Mendon Conservation League Middleburgh Rod & Gun Club Millgrove Sportsmen's Club Millport Hunting & Fishing Club Mohawk Rifle & Pistol Club Inc New Paltz Rod and Gun Club New York Houndsmen Conservation Association Newark Rod & Gun Club Newfield Rod & Gun Club Niagara Frontiersmen Pistol Club North Forest Rod & Gun Club North Star Sportsman's Club North Woods Sportsmens Association Northern Chautauqua Rifle & Pistol Club Northern Dutchess Rod & Gun Club Norton Hill Wildlife Club Oatka Fish & Game Club Olean Rod & Gun Club Outlet Rod & Gun Club Oxford Rod & Gun Club Painted Post Field & Stream Club Pine City Sportsmen's Club Randolph Rod & Gun Club Red Creek Conservation Club Rochester Brooks Gun Club Rochester Rifle Club Rockdale Rod & Gun Club Rushford Lake Conservation Club Sara Spa Rod & Gun Club Saranac Lake Fish & Game Club Schroon Lake Fish & Game Club Scio Rod & Gun Club Seneca County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs Shawangunk Fish & Game Association Shortsville Rod & Gun Club Sodus Bay Sportmans Club Somerset Conservation Club Sons of American Legion Squadron 734 South Bristol Fish & Game Association Sportsman Coonhunters Association Sportsmen's Club of Clifton Park Springville Field & Stream Club Square Deal Sportsmen Stamford Rod & Gun Club Steuben Co.Federation of Conservation Clubs Syracuse Pistol Club Ten-X Shooting Club Tonawandas Sportsmen's Club Tri States Rod and Gun Club Trumansburg Rifle & Pistol Club Tupper Lake Sportsmens Club Twin City Shooting Club Veterans of America Gun Club Victor Rod & Gun Club Walker Valley Sportsman's Club Walworth Sportman's Club Waterloo Rifle & Pistol Club Watertown Sporstmen Wayne County Federation of Sportmen's Clubs West Falls Conservation Society Westfield Fish & Game Club Whortlekill Rod & Gun Club Williamson Conservation & Sporting Club Wolcottsville Sportsman's Club Wood & Brook Sportsman's Club (Continued on page 11)

11 Firing Lines page 11 SCOPE Business Associate Membership Show your support for our 2 nd Amendment rights with a Business Associate Membership. Dues are $50 annually, or $250 for a Sponsor level membership. Members will receive a window sign to display, a listing on our website and contact information. We will also supply them with membership applications and a supply of each issue of the Firing Lines for their store. Sponsors will also receive a wall plaque for display in their store. Application on page 14 Help Defeat the politicians trying to steal YOUR Second Amendment Rights! Happy Holidays Blessings of the season to all SCOPE PAC needs donations Help elect Representatives Who believe in the Second Amendment. scopepac.com Donate to SCOPE PAC Page 3 (Continued from page 10) Wyoming Conservation Association Wyoming County Wildlife Federation Yates Carlton Lakeshore Sportsman Club Yates County Federation of Conservation Clubs

12 Firing Lines page 12 It Wasn t Always Like This The Evolution of Gun Control By Harold Moskowitz Until about 1925, few Americans questioned a person s right to own a firearm for protection of life and property. In the eighteenth century, armed farmers helped win our independence. Firearms were essential for homestead defense against Native American attacks and wild animals in the nineteenth century. As the nation expanded westward, the Colt revolver became the Great Equalizer in mining camps and cow towns. Ranchers and farmers would not have agreed upon much except the usefulness of Henry and Winchester rifles. However, America was changing. Power farm equipment replaced horses. There was much less need for hired hands for harvesting. Millions of these now unemployed men and their families migrated to the cities where they joined the throngs of immigrant families. The dramatic increase in urban population gave cities increasing political power over rural areas. By 1910, census data indicated that a majority of the population lived in cities. Rural people felt comfortable with firearms and knew how to handle them safely. In the densely populated ethnic neighborhoods of cities like New York, firearms were viewed as a dangerous menace. In the southern part of Manhattan, criminal street gangs used handguns to eliminate rival gang members and for extorting money from shopkeepers. In 1903, two rival gangs, the Eastmans and the Five Points Gang had a five-hour shootout. When police arrived, both gangs began firing at responding officers. The firearms used by the criminal gangs were not illegal to possess but there was a ten dollar fine for carrying a concealed firearm in the city. State Senator Timothy Sullivan represented this part of the city and instinctively saw an advantage in proposing a gun control law in Albany. His Sullivan Law took effect in It made buying or selling a handgun a felony in the state unless the person had a license for the handgun. Licenses were required for state residents if a firearm was small enough to be concealed. Possession of an unlicensed firearm would be a misdemeanor but carrying the weapon became a felony. The law was a may issue statute. Police were given authority to decide whether or not a person would receive a concealed carry license. The jury is still out on whether or not Sullivan actually believed in gun control. At the time, he was also the head of the New York City Democrat political machine Tamany Hall. For getting out the vote on Election Day, prepaid drinks were available at local saloons for those who voted the right way. Intimidation at the polls was also a useful method of guaranteeing votes. Big Tim Sullivan had a working relationship with the leaders of both the Eastmans and the Five Points criminal gangs. He is said to have also had his own soldiers for use on Election Day. Passage of his law would make it possible for his own men to be among the few who could legally carry firearms in the city. New York City historian George Lankevich has claimed that the law s motivation was for Sullivan s friends on the police force to plant handguns on his political rivals thugs and have them arrested. The Sullivan Law was the start of gun control. In 1927, Congress ended mail order handgun sales. Due to a rash of bank robberies and Prohibition Era use of Thompson submachine guns by gangsters, Congress passed the Firearms Act of It regulated machine guns plus rifles and shotguns with shortened barrels. The Firearms Act of 1938 helped the states to enforce their own recently enacted gun control laws by requiring individuals and manufacturers to have a federal license for making, sending, receiving, or selling firearms. Elected politicians since Timothy Sullivan have capitalized on gun-related violence for personal gain. They are aided and abetted by the news media. The spotlight needs to be on the real causes of violence in our society: the constant failure of urban elected officials to prosecute under existing laws those individuals who are killing and injuring others with illegally possessed handguns; the insufficient resources for treatment of people with mental health issues; the proliferation of movies, videogames and song lyrics which glorify violence while degrading the value of human life. We need to express clearly to the younger generation why Second Amendment rights are important for all law-abiding people. Erosion of the Second Amendment is a civil rights issue and should be constantly portrayed as such whenever an opportunity presents itself. Finally, those whose ultimate goal is to end the individual right to keep and bear arms wait for the public emotion which follows each mass shooting. With perceived public support, they incrementally push forward with their agenda. Without a solid constitutionalist majority on the Supreme Court, we will likely have to deal with ongoing erosion of the Second Amendment.

13 Firing Lines page 13 NO MORE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT? By Budd Schroeder Thanksgiving is over and so is Black Friday. People are getting their first rush for the Holiday Season and of course, it starts with the big sales and the focus on spending money. There is no more Merry Christmas. What used to be a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ has become a season to stimulate the economy and provide profits for merchants and factories. Check out the local newspapers, fliers and electronic media. It is filled with ads for sales of products. Some merchants and businesses depend on this holiday to end the season in the black because of the surge to buy gifts. Some say the American custom is to spend money you don t have to buy stuff you don t need to impress people you don t even like. The holiday season enhances this thought. The society has changed so much thanks to the liberal leftists that the mention of Jesus is forbidden in some stores. They employees must wish their customers a Happy Holiday instead of a Merry Christmas. Nativity scenes are forbidden to be placed in government owned places because some atheists or people of faiths other than Christians might be offended. Baloney! This started as a Christian holiday and has denigrated to a time for commerce. While the Christians do celebrate the birth of Christ, they do not infringe on other beliefs or non-beliefs. Who objects to Jews celebrating their holidays like Yom Kippur? Anyone object to Muslims celebrating the Fast of Ramadan? There doesn t seem to be any outcry to do that. Maybe it has something to do with Christian spirit and practicing the religion as it should be practiced. Traditionally, Christians used the holiday to come together for the traditional Christmas dinner and exchanged gifts in the tradition of the gifts brought by the Wise Men when Jesus was born. It became a true holiday complete with church services and prayers. That too, unfortunately, has faded. This column has long expressed the opinion that politics was all about power and money and it seems that the American way of living has been strongly influenced by the same philosophy. A major factor on everyday decisions is, What is the cost? That is understandable since this is a capitalistic society. We have been taught that is we worked hard we could be successful and have a good financial future. In so many instances, success is measured in dollars. That could have a major influence on the shift in the attitude about Christmas. Where family values and traditions were featured during the Christmas season, it seems like the major discussion about the celebration is now, What did you get for Christmas? The more the kids got or the more expensive the gift determines how merry their Christmas was. Still, the message of Christmas does resonate in some aspects of the season. We refer to the concept that it should be a time to help the unfortunate and share some of our bounty. Jesus preached about the value of charity and how those who had the means should take care of those who are less fortunate. We get mailings every day from organizations asking for financial help for the poor, aged, disabled and unfortunate. They hope that there is some compassion that leads to generosity. Therefore, there is competition for money between compassion and commercialism and generally speaking, commercialism wins. The what s in it for me motivation usually wins. However, it is easy to be generous and there are convenient opportunities to help the unfortunate in an easy manner. At most stores and malls, shoppers can find people who are standing by the Salvation Army Red Kettle giving shoppers a chance to drop in a couple of bucks that can make a big difference to an unfortunate person or family. For each donation it can be pocket change or a five of ten dollar bill, maybe more, the Salvation Army motto of Doing the Most Good comes into play. Of all the recognized charities, this one has the highest ratio of low overhead to the amount given for those who receive the help. Many organizations do wonderful work, but this one has an enviable reputation for efficiency that few can match. When a disaster strikes, more often than not, the Army Is first on the scene to set up emergency kitchens that feed those affected and to set up shelters. This was recently shown during the storm that devastated Puerto Rico. They beat the government teams by a significant margin. So, during this Christmas season, when you shop for gifts and you see the Red Kettle, perhaps you can remember the traditional purpose of Christmas and think about others who may be in need of necessities. Maybe you can consider not buying a small unnecessary gift and invest the money in a worthy charity. A couple of bucks you won t miss can mean a decent Christmas dinner for a hungry poor person. Your money, your choice!

14 Firing Lines page 14 SCOPE Business Associate Members The following are business members of SCOPE. If your business would like to become a SCOPE business member please fill out the application below. A.R. Pierrepont Co. 154 Berkeley St Rochester, NY Accuracy Performance & Function PO Box 410 Walworth, NY Ambrose Mechanical Services 71 Lake Meadow Dr Rochester, NY American Freedom Apparel 116 University Blvd Depew, NY Any Time Ammo 8 Larkspur Rd Ballston Spa, NY Apparel Printers Plus 67 East Main St Victor, NY Armor Risk Management Inc. PO Box 9 Ravena, NY Association of Former NYS Troopers PO Box 362 Hamlin, NY B & B Repair Service 14 Second St Canisteo, NY B & E Electric 4466 Kipp Rd Canandaigua, NY Batavia Marine & Sporting Supplies 411 W Main St Batavia, NY Beecroft's LLC Rt 40 Schaghticoke, NY Bell Security & Investigations 60 Willowbend Dr Penfield, NY Bill Fox & Son Construction & Remodeling, LLC 9346 South St Rd LeRoy, NY Bonded Collection Services PO Box 305 Fairport, NY Brightside Communications PO Box 2404 Binghamton, NY Bullseye Shooters Supply 453 S Hamilton St Painted Post, NY Cannioto Builders 33 Hunt Rd Rockstream, NY Cast Away Charters & Guide Service 12 Hummingbird Rd Coudersport PA Champs Mini Mart Ridge Rd Medina, NY Ciminelli & Ciminelli PPLC 421 Penbrooke Dr, Ste 2 Penfield, NY Creekside Morgans, LLC Route 415 Avoca, NY Creekside Sports LLC 409 Main St Schoharie, NY D&J Construction West, LLC 7562 McCarriger Rd Ovid, NY DD's Ranch, LLC Westwood Rd Alden, NY Dick Ferraioli/Guilderland Pump 6230 Hawes Rd Altamont, NY Dick's Country Store Gun City & Music Oasis 7429 US Rt 11 Churubusco, NY Diversified Dairy Products 496 Kennedy Rd Buffalo, NY (Continued on page 15) SHOOTER S COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION (SCOPE, INC) PO Box 165, East Aurora, NY Business Associate Membership Application Date of Application Donation, Annual $50 Annual Sponsor $250 Business Name Phone Address City State Zip Fax Mailing address if different Contact Name & Title Secondary Contact Website Type of business (gun shop, sporting goods, etc.) (Donations to SCOPE are not refundable or tax deductible)

15 Firing Lines page 15 Durham Valley Liquor Store 395 Rt 20B E Durham, NY Fire and Ice HVAC, LLC PO Box 257 Canandaigua, NY G. Chipman Insurance Agency 360 Grant Ave Rd Auburn, NY Harold's Welding Shop 1164 E Swamp Rd Penn Yan, NY Harv's Harley Davidson, Inc 3120 Kittering Rd Macedon, NY Hunters Landing 8348 Lewiston Rd Batavia, NY Interstate Concealed Carry, LLC PO Box 2563 Kimgston, NY JC Guns 90 Honorine Dr Depew, NY Laughlin Electric Corp 182 Furlong Rd Rochester, NY Legal Shield / ID Shield PO Box 364 Ransomville, NY Lincoln Electro Mechanic Corp State Rt 209 Kingston, NY Lucarellis Banquet Center 1830 Abbott Rd Lackawanna, NY New York Security Training Center LLC 215 South Main Street Newark, NY Oneida Electric 5630 Horatio St Utica, NY Oyster Bay Insurance 27 Pine Hollow Rd Oyster Bay, NY Point Pleasant Firemen's Association 55 Ewer Ave Irondequoit, NY Precision Armament Div of PM Research Inc 4110 Niles Hill Rd Wellsville, NY Rick's Septic Services PO Box 2 Canandaigua, NY RJK Guns & Stuff 868 Hyde St Whitney Point, NY S&B Products PO Box 145 Munnsville, NY S&S Auto Body, Ken-Ton Inc. 321 Englewood Ave Buffalo, NY Sardinia Mini Storage PO Box 158 Sardinia, NY Seneca Gun Sports 4705 Ste Rt 14 Rock Stream, NY Strong Side Defensive Firearms Training 5316 Franklin Rd Marion, NY Take Aim Firearms 3586 Connie Trail Blasdell, NY TCS Manufacturing PO Box 410 Walworth, NY The Custom Shop Gun Shop PO Box 410 Walworth, NY The Firing Pin LLC 8240 Buffalo Rd Bergen, NY The Valley Gun Shop, LLC 1600 Davis Rd W Falls, NY Thunderbird Arms 7461 Peavy Rd Angelica, NY True American Signs & Vehicle Specialties 678 E. Main St Cobleskill, NY Turnbull Mfg. Co Rt 5 and 20 Bloomfield, NY Walton's Service Center 1634 Rt 54 Penn Yan, NY Williamson Hardware PO Box 163 Williamson, NY WNY Insurance Agency,LLC 2477 Union Rd Cheektowaga, NY WNY Synthetics/Amsoil 3238 Lockport Rd Sanborn, NY www. GoldRushEnergy526.com 390 Lykers Rd Central Bridge, NY WNY Insurance Agency,LLC 2477 Union Rd Cheektowaga NY com 390 Lykers Rd Central Bridge NY Support the businesses that support your Rights Please use a SCOPE m e m b e r b u s i n e s s whenever you can. Don t forget to tell them you found their business in the SCOPE newsletter. Want to annoy Governor Cuomo? Get Your Repeal The SAFE Act sign on page 24 or go to SCOPEny.org.

16 Firing Lines page 16 Your Representatives NYS Assembly list SCOPE defends the 2 nd Amendment in many ways, one of which is by having chapters, committees and individual members contact their legislators to express our concerns and/or support. In order to provide an easy reference for you, the following is a list of the contact phone numbers for New York State Assembly members and New York State Senators and Federal Senators for State Assembly Dist Fred Thiele, Jr. 1 thielef@nyassembly.gov Anthony Palumbo 2 palumboa@nyassembly.gov L. Dean Murray 3 murrayd@nyassembly.gov Steven Englebright 4 engles@nyassembly.gov Alfred Graf 5 grafa@nyassembly.gov Philip Ramos 6 ramosp@nyassembly.gov Andrew Garbarino 7 garbarinoa@nyassembly.gov Michael Fitzpatrick 8 fitzpatrickm@nyassembly.gov Christine Pallegrino Chad Lupinacci 10 lupinaccic@nyassembly.gov Kimberly Jean-Pierre 11 jeanpierrek@nyassembly.gov Andrew Raia 12 raiaa@nyassembly.gov Charles Lavine 13 lavinec@nyassembly.gov David McDonough 14 mcdonoughd@nyassembly.gov Michael Montesano 15 montesanom@nyassembly.gov Anthony D'Urso 16 adurso@nyassembly.gov Tom McKevitt 17 mckevit@nyassembly.gov Earlene Hooper 18 hoopere@nyassembly.gov Edward Ra 19 rae@nyassembly.gov Melissa Miller 20 millerm@nyassembly.gov Brian Curran 21 curranb@nyassembly.gov Michaelle Solages 22 solagesm@nyassembly.gov Stacey Pheffer Amato 23 amatos@nyassembly.gov David Weprin 24 weprind@nyassembly.gov NilyRozic 25 rozicn@nyassembly.gov Edward Braunstein 26 braunsteine@nyassembly.gov Michael Simanowitz 27 simanowitzm@nyassembly.gov Andrew Hevesi 28 hevesia@nyassembly.gov Alicia Hyndman 29 hyndmana@nyassembly.gov Brian Barnwell 30 barnwellb@nyassembly.gov Michele Titus 31 titusm@nyassembly.gov Vivian Cook 32 cookv@nyassembly.gov Clyde Vanel 33 vanelc@nyassembly.gov Michael DenDekker 34 dendekkerm@nyassembly.gov JeffrionAubry 35 aubryj@nyassembly.gov AravelaSimotas 36 simotasa@nyassembly.gov Catherine Nolan 37 nolanc@nyassambly.gov Michael Miller 38 millermg@nyassembly.gov Francisco Moya 39 moyaf@nyassembly.gov Ron Kim 40 kimr@nyassembly.gov Helene Weinstein 41 weinsth@nyassembly.gov RodneyseBichotte 42 bichotter@nyassembly.gov Diana Richardson 43 district43@nyassembly.gov Robert Carroll 44 carrollr@nyassembly.gov Steven Cymbrowitz 45 cymbros@nyassembly.gov New York. It is important that these individuals get constant feedback from SCOPE in order to strengthen their resolve on 2 nd Amendment issues. I encourage you to call your local representative to encourage them when they do something right and tell them your displeasure when they do something wrong. For a list of addresses: For information on your Representative: representatives/find/ Pamela Harris 46 harrisp@nyassembly.gov William Colton 47 coltonw@nyassembly.gov DovHikind 48 hikindd@nyassembly.gov Peter AbbateJr 49 abbatep@nyassembly.gov Joseph Lentol 50 lentolj@nyassembly.gov Felix Ortiz 51 ortizf@nyassembly.gov JoAnne Simon 52 simonj@nyassembly.gov Maritza Davila 53 davilam@nyassembly.gov Erik Martin Dilan 54 dilane@nyassembly.gov Latrice Walker 55 walkerl@nyassembly.gov Tremaine Wright 56 wrightt@nyassembly.gov Walter Mosley 57 mosleyw@nyassembly.gov N. Nick Perry 58 perryn@nyassembly.gov Jaime Williams Charles Barron 60 barronc@nyassembly.gov Matthew Titone 61 titonem@nyassembly.gov Ron Castorina Jr. 62 castroina@nyassembly.gov Michael Cusick 63 cusickm@nyassembly.gov Nicole Malliotakis 64 malliotakisn@nyassembly.gov Yuh-Line Niou 65 rilouy@nyassembly.gov Deborah Glick 66 glickd@nysa.us Linda Rosenthal 67 rosenthall@nyassembly.gov Robert Rodriguez 68 rodriguezrj@nyassembly.gov Daniel O'Donnell 69 odonelld@nyassembly.gov Inez Dickens 70 dickens@nyassembly.gov Herman Farrell Jr 71 farrelh@nyassembly.gov Carmen De La Rosa 72 delarosa@nyassembly.gov Daniel Quart 73 quartd@nyassembly.gov Brian Kavanagh 74 kavanaghb@nyassembly.gov Richard Gottfried 75 gottfrr@nyassembly.gov Rebecca Seawright 76 seawrir@nyassembly.gov Latoya Joyner 77 joynerl@nyassembly.gov José Rivera 78 riveraj@nyassembly.gov Michael Blake 79 blakem@nyassembly.gov Mark Gjonaj 80 gjonajm@nyassembly.gov Jeffrey Dinowitz 81 dinowij@nyassembly.gov Michael Benedetto 82 benedem@nyassembly.gov Carl Heastie 83 speaker@nyassembly.gov Carmen Arroyo 84 arroyoc@nyassembly.gov Marcos Crespo 85 crespom@nyassembly.gov Victor Pichardo 86 pichardov@nyassembly.gov Luis Sepúlveda 87 sepulvedal@nyassembly.gov Amy Paulin 88 paulina@nyassembly.gov J. Gary Pretlow 89 pretloj@nyassembly.gov Shelley Mayer 90 mayers@nyassembly.gov Steven Otis 91 otiss@nyassembly.gov (Continued on page 17)

17 Firing Lines page 17 (Continued from page 16) Thomas Abinanti 92 David Buchwald 93 Kevin Byrne 94 Sandra Galef 95 Kenneth Zebrowski 96 Ellen Jaffee 97 Karl Brabenec 98 James Skoufis 99 Aileen Gunther 100 Brian Miller 101 Peter Lopez 102 Kevin Cahill 103 Frank Skartados 104 Kieran Lalor 105 Didi Barrett 106 Steven McLaughlin 107 John McDonald 108 Patricia Fahy 109 Phillip Steck 110 Angelo Santabarbara 111 Mary Beth Walsh 112 Carrie Woerner 113 Daniel Stec 114 Billy Jones 115 Addie Jenne 116 Ken Blankenbush 117 Marc Butler 118 Anthony Brindisi 119 Will Barclay 120 William Magee 121 Clifford Crouch 122 Donna Lupardo 123 Christopher Friend 124 Barbara Lifton 125 Gary Finch 126 Al Stirpe 127 Pamela Hunter 128 William Magnarelli 129 Robert Oaks 130 Brian Kolb 131 Phillip Palmesano 132 Joseph Errigo 133 Peter Lawrence 134 Mark Johns 135 Joseph Morelle 136 David Gantt 137 Harry Bronson 138 Steve Hawley 139 Robin Schimminger 140 Crystal Peoples-Stokes 141 Michael Kearns 142 Monica Wallace 143 Michael Norris 144 Angelo Morinello 145 Raymond Walter 146 David DiPietro 147 Joseph Giglio 148 Sean Ryan 149 Andrew Goodell 150 Dist NY State Senate Albany # Local # 1 Kenneth LaValle John Flanagan Thomas Croci Philip Boyle Carl Marcellino Kemp Hannon Elaine Phillips John Brooks Todd Kaminski James Sanders, Jr Tony Avella Michael Gianaris Jos Peralta Leroy Comrie, Jr Joseph Addabbo, Jr Toby Ann Stavisky Simcha Felder Martin Malav Dilan Roxanne Persaud Jesse Hamilton Kevin Parker Martin Golden Diane Savino Andrew Lanza Velmanette Montgomery Daniel Squadron Brad Hoylman Liz Krueger Jos Serrano Bill Perkins Marisol Alcantara Ruben Diaz, Sr J. Gustavo Rivera Jeffrey Klein Andrea Stewart-Cousins Jamaal Bailey George Latimer David Carlucci William Larkin, Jr Terrance Murphy Susan Serino John Bonacic Kathleen Marchione Neil Breslin Elizabeth Little George Amadore, Jr Joseph Griffo Patricia Ritchie James Tedisco John DeFrancisco James Seward Frederick Akshar,II David Valesky Pamela Helming Rich Funke Joseph Robach Catherine Young (Continued on page 18)

18 Firing Lines page 18 (Continued from page 17) 58 Thomas O'Mara Patrick Gallivan Chris Jacobs Michael Ranzenhofer Robert Ortt Tim Kennedy US Senate NY DC # Albany # Charles Schumer Kirsten Gillibrand Dist US Congress NY DC # Local # 1 Lee Zeldin Pete King Thomas Suozzi Kathleen Rice Gregory Meeks Grace Meng Nydia Vel zquez Hakeem Jeffries Yvette Clark Jerold Nadler Daniel Donovan Carolyn Maloney Adriano Espaillat Joseph Crowley Jose Serrano Eliot Engel Nita Lowley Sean Patrick Maloney John Faso Paul Tonko Elise Stefanik Claudia Tenney Tom Reed John Katko Louise Slaughter Brian Higgins Chris Collins There are almost 4 million gun owners in New York. Cuomo got 2.1 million votes in Do the math! SCOPE PAC needs donations Ken Mathison, Treasurer SCOPE PAC You should all know that SCOPE has a Political Action Committee (PAC) whose sole purpose is to collect money to donate to deserving Second Amendment candidates and incumbents. I have always said that if all gun owners donated one dollar a month to the SCOPE PAC we would have millions of dollars to work with. So, I'm asking all SCOPE members to donate one dollar per month (more if you can) to the SCOPE PAC. You can do that through an automatic deduction from your credit card, bank account with your debit card, or through a PayPal account if you have one. All you need to do is visit click on the Donate button, and follow the instructions. Money is the grease of the political machine, if we have significant money we can grease the machine in our favor.

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20 Firing Lines page 20 REIMBURSEMENT PRESENTED Don Hall, at right, was presented with a $500 check by the Oneida and Herkimer counties chapter of SCOPE (Shooters Committee on Political Education), for expenses incurred after his firearms were mistakenly confiscated through a state gun control law. From left: Bob Good, SCOPE member and president of Greenway-Verona Mills Fish and Game Club, where the check was presented; Fred Rebscher, chairman of the SCOPE Oneida and Herkimer chapter; George Massoud, treasurer of the SCOPE chapter; Ed Stelzer, SCOPE member; and Hall. (Photo submitted) 1t5yK3jpUIlKgBpsDCdVzg/ From the Rome (NY) Sentinel Firearms group raises $500 for local man following mixup Published Jul 17, 2017 at 4:10pm A firearms ownership advocacy group has raised $500 to reimburse a local man for expenses incurred after his firearms were mistakenly confiscated through a state gun control law following a Social Security number mix-up, the organization has announced. A $500 check was presented Wednesday to Don Hall by the Oneida and Herkimer counties chapter of SCOPE (Shooters Committee On Political Education). Hall, president of the Point Rock Fish & Game Club and a Vietnam veteran, had his firearms confiscated through the New York SAFE Act after his identity was mistaken for someone else due to a Social Security number being mistyped at a local hospital, said a SCOPE announcement. SAFE refers to the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act which was passed into law in January While Hall did have his firearms returned after the mistake was found, he had to hire an attorney, the announcement said. Hall did nothing wrong and the members of SCOPE did some fundraising to reimburse him, the announcement added. Fred Rebscher, chairman of the local SCOPE chapter, said of the New York SAFE Act that Hall was trapped by this law, over what appears to be a typographical error. He said his organization opposes the act, adding it contains many aspects that needlessly criminalize normal lawabiding citizens... SCOPE is a civil rights organization focusing on protection and preservation of the right of firearms ownership under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Republican state legislators have expressed opposition to some parts of the New York SAFE Act, including supporting legislation that would drop provisions of the law outside New York City. But there has been no repeal. The law was enacted in 2013 with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in response to a shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. At the time of its passage, the law was hailed as the toughest gun control law in the nation by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

21 Firing Lines page 21 Help Defeat the politicians trying to steal YOUR Second Amendment Rights! Donate to SCOPE -PAC Page 3 Order your Repeal the SAFE Act Sign today! Go to SCOPEny.org Advertising in FIRING LINES If you would like to advertise, please call or SCOPE We will be happy to assist you in composing and placing an ad PO Box 165 East Aurora, NY (315) 27SCOPE admin@scopeny.org Have you Moved? If you have moved, please send us your new address so we can update our files. Have you changed your ? Sending us your address does two things: It allows us to get information to you quickly It saves on mailing costs Please updates to: admin@scopeny.org or mail to - PO Box 165 East Aurora, NY 14052

22 Firing Lines page 22 Situational Awareness and Profiling Richard Rossi, Delaware County I am writing this on Election Day - eve. As Americans, we were able to go to the polls TODAY. We survived another year. Millions of American citizens exercised their right and privilege today. I hope you were one of these individuals. I would like to briefly speak about "SITUATIONAL AWARNESS" and "PROFILING". The Webster's dictionary defines SITUATIONAL as "combination of circumstances at a given moment". AWARNESS is defined as "having knowledge or cognizance, vigilance". PROFILING is defined as "a representation of an object, person etc." When you actually think about both these terms: Situational Awareness and Profiling, they are very similar. As an individual, you are arriving at an opinion based on your personal life experiences and the 'gut feeling' that comes over you based on current circumstances. We all have a natural instinct to self-preservation... Our government preaches to all citizens in this day and age - "IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING"; however, on the other hand they condemn profiling. Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways. This seems to be the mentality of many of our elected and appointed government officials. In the name of 'political correctness', they condemn individuals and groups for opinions based on 'life experiences and the situation at hand'. This is being applied at all levels of our government; our immigration policies to our local police patrolling efforts. Then when situations happen, they are at a loss and can't see how this happened WITHOUT anyone being previously aware. This is the result of our dysfunctional politicians. Unfortunately, just as an individual needs to use all his resources available (situational awareness) as he or she goes through their daily activities, our government needs to do the same. Yes, it is a balance; an individual cannot be in a heightened (Condition RED) alert level 100% of the time. It is a balance of various degrees, as the surroundings dictate. One goes through various levels - GREEN, YELLOW and RED. However, one cannot be totally unaware - condition WHITE - all the time, day in day out - that will definitely result in disaster. Looking at the 'GUN CONTROL' waive that has hit our country in light of the recent Las Vegas shooting and the past mass shooting all across this country over the past couple of years, plays right into this mentality. However, exactly what they are condemning they are condoning. - Profiling of Law-abiding gun owners, as criminals. I assume when you have pre-conceived biases and agenda's, nothing will prevent you from 'saying anything', to achieve your goals. In New York State alone, we have anywhere from 3 to 5 million lawabiding gun owners. Percentage wise, law -abiding gun owner are more responsible individuals that the common citizen. CCW holders nationally are more responsible and commit less crime than our LEO's. Nationally, we have some 20,000 gun laws, regulations and statutes on the books. Ironically, where do a large percentage of the mass shootings happen - in Gun-Free Zones. Even more ironic is the concept that banning a firearm WILL result in less crime. Criminals do not obey laws - that is why they are criminals. What rational reasoning is being used here - an 'OBJECT' is committing a crime. Only an individual can commit a crime. With reasoning like that, I would say our elected officials are completely lacking any situational awareness. They are living in 'Condition WHITE' - totally unaware of reality. However, even more ironic and disturbing, is when it comes to 'other activities' they (the Govt. officials) shift the blame to the individual rather than the object - THE VECHICLE. Take drunkdriving, they rationally blame the driver, the same goes for speeding. Based on their faulty logic as it is applied to FIREARMS, one would presume that they would want to make laws to impact the vehicle. We have the technology to prevent everyone from driving impaired. Every vehicle can be fitted with an engine ignition system that would prevent anyone from starting a vehicle IF they have a high level of blood alcohol - correct? Furthermore, we also have tech- nology to have all vehicles equipped with 'speed governors' to prevent speeding. We even have vehicles now equipped with 'crash-avoidance' technology to prevent crashes. For years, some trucking corporations have governors on their semitrailer trucks. Where is the out-cry from the politicians and the media. If it saves one life it is worth it, is the cry from the antigun establishment. However, let me perfectly clear, I am NOT saying these measures are appropriate. We live in a Republic and our citizens have rights as defined in our Constitution/Bill of Rights. With FREEDOM comes compromises you can't have it both ways. We have seen that the latest terrorist weapon is trucks. Again situational awareness - CONDITION "WHITE". Our politicians and our national media have 'selective amnesia' when it comes to certain things or should I say an AGENDA. It would be refreshing if our elected representatives would work together with an open mind. Focus their efforts on solving our problems that face the nation, by addressing the 'root causes' and taking action NOT based on political agendas or personal gain. As has been said, POWER CORRUPTS - at all levels. This is true in government as well as our corporate world. We are a nation of political agendas and personal biases. Unfortunately, 'We The People' need to get our heads out of the sand. We need to take back our country, one elected office at a time. If we sit back, our Rights and Freedoms will be lost forever will be a big year for New Yorkers - we will be electing a Governor and countless Representatives in Albany. Now is the time to unite with your fellow Patriots. It does not matter if we are Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, or Independents. We are all Americans first... Our Rights and Freedoms are in the balance. God Bless America Photo by Genesee County Chapter

23 Firing Lines page 23 More of what's next: By Attilio A. Contini The Country is in the midst of the most serious National crisis we have faced since the Civil War. I seriously wonder if we are going to be able to recover from it. The Civil War was primarily a single issue problem; State's Rights rooted in the issue of slavery. The problem we have today is a multi faceted dilemma with more ugly heads than I can count. It goes to the core of the Republic and is threatening the very values of our Free Constitutional Government. We are under attack from many different angles. But there is one common thread thru the conspiracies. A small elitist class that wants to subjugate and completely control the masses. They seem to believe we are unable or not capable of providing for ourselves, know what our best interest is, or govern ourselves. They believe someone must make all decisions for us from the cradle to the grave. For almost a hundred years now they have been brainwashing us to believe that our form of government is bad and that government (the elitists) must run our lives and provide for our every need. We continually here that Democrats and Republicans must and should work together to fix the problems which they themselves created. It is time we realize Democrats and Republicans working together especially in Washington is no longer a doable, smart, or possible thing. Both Parties have become obsolete. Because of the mass misseducation, brainwashing, and indoctrination of the vast majority of the American people for the last two generations very few people actually know much about Advertising in FIRING LINES If you would like to advertise, please call or SCOPE and we will be happy to assist you in composing and placing an ad admin@scopeny.org our Constitution and the true responsibility of government. The enemies of our Country have completely infiltrated and control the Democrat Party. Let's face it today the National Democrat Party in principle is somewhere between Communist and Socialist. Many of the inside Washington establishment Republicans also advocate some form of Socialism. They use and abuse our Free Democratic system of government to control and destroy our Freedom. This is why the Republican Senate is unable to Repeal and Replace Obama care and they will not be able to pass true Tax Reform Legislation either. Let's be honest. The bottom line is approximately thirty four Republican Senators are RINOs who are playing a sinister game of CYA rather than to help President Trump clean out their Swamp. The bottom line is Washington is infested with all kinds of corrupt, self serving, lying, criminal elements, who advocate various forms of TREASON. Trump didn't say it, but I am not afraid to! It seems the only thing they ever do is screw the American people, destroy our economy and society, and use our legal system to create hate and discontent between every group they can think of. Think about it. It was an absolute disgrace that Obama was even allowed to run for President let alone become President. After four years of total disaster he was renominated and elected for a second term? That doesn't say much for the segment of our population who voted! Fifty years ago he would have been lucky to get even ten percent of the vote. What happened the last fifty years? Actually the Socialist/Communist movement started about a hundred years ago. They started by infiltrating our educational system starting in our colleges and working down to kindergarten. They did their homework and evolved our educational system into institutions of indoctrination, brainwashing, and miss education. My wife and I saw it coming back in the early seventies when we were forced to pull our oldest daughter out of the local public school when she was in the second grade. Remember in the late sixties when thinking people began to say Keep a good child from going bad, don't send them to college? Today it has reached the point where every child in the public school system is at risk of being lost. The Progressive Liberal Democrat Party has become so radical that is more of a threat to the security, safety, well being, and future of our Country and our way of life than Communist Russia is! To add insult to injury the Republican SWAMP dwellers in Washington and Albany are not that much better. The bottom line is the Democrat vs. Republican smoke screen is not the problem. The body politic has degenerated to the point where it has become primarily a Good vs. Evil, Pro Constitutional vs. Anti American, Law and order vs. civil disobedience, Those that give vs those who take situation. Political correctness has labeled the so called conservative, law abiding, high moral standards people with all kinds of belittling, degrading, language. The fact is the progressive liberal left advocate, practice, and are the very thing they accuse us of being. Upside down society is the best way to describe the situation! We are on the verge of a civil war and we better wake up to this reality. We elected Donald Trump President last November. The Left refuses to accept his election and are using the system from within to sabotage, destroy, and stop everything Trump tries to do. They have already shown they are ready and willing to use violence and political mutiny to hound Trump out of office There is a proposition on the ballot for a Constitutional Convention in New York. Mark my words. It will be controlled so they will be able to diminish our Rights. Unless things change, next year Cuomo will be re-elected paving the way for the eventual confiscation of our guns. Are we going to sit idly by and let them take our Country away from us? Only time will tell! Empire State Weeklies For all your printing needs Job Printing Newsletter and Newspaper Publishing Bulk Mailing Services 46 North Ave., Webster, NY (585)